Christmas Day, 2022!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family near and far. Thought I would drop in and update you on how I’m doing.

On December 8th, I went in for my 3rd back surgery. This surgery was going to scrape part of my bones between T7 and T8 to make more room for my nerve to pass through and have more room to freely flow through my spine. Of course, I expected to come out of surgery & rest a few days & then feel great! Well, I was a bit too optimistic. The pain is still there, and I was told by my pain management doctor to give it at least 2 months before the nerves and muscles relax, and then they will begin to ween me off Lyrica. So I pray it worked, and I suppose we will find out in a couple months.

As far as the cancer goes, I’m still in remission. I’m still taking Ibrance (chemo pill) and Letrozole. The bloodwork shows my body is reacting well to the medication. I’m truly blessed! The last pet scan was done on October 26th, showing no new lesions, and the old ones are still asleep. So now my next Pet Scan is 6 months from the October one. Yayyyyhooo!

I have done a couple 5K’s. One in November called Pink up the Pace for breast cancer awareness. It was rescheduled from Hurricane Ian. Tommy and Dylan walked with me while Teri and Shelby ran it. It was all through downtown St. Augustine. It was pretty beautiful along the Bay Area. Then in December, we did a 5k. It was called the Festival of Lights for Children’s Miracle Network. The walk goes through San Marco at dusk and evening time. It is really a nice walk. Tommy and Dylan walked with me. Shelby and my nephew Kyle ran it, and my sister-in-law Kerry did a fast walk. My mother-in-law Pat came for moral support! After the walk, we enjoyed a nice dinner at Outback and discussed our next run/walk. In February, we will participate in a 2-mile cupcake walk/run. You go one mile, pick up a cupcake and go back a mile. Doesn’t that sound fun! Let us know if you want to join. It’s in Vero Beach, Florida. In March, we are going to participate in the Gate River run. I’ll be walking it, no doubt.

December was a bit of a blur. My mom went in for a biopsy on December 12th. She found out on December 19th she has malignant cancer in the lung. So the two of us will be fighting cancer together. We take her to see a surgeon at the beginning of January. Hopefully, they take it out, and bam, it’s done. But don’t know the details just yet. She is very confused because she also has Lewy Body Dementia. She keeps asking when she goes to the doctor and when they are taking it out, even after we told her many times. She also doesn’t want a new doctor. We have to explain why she has to get a couple new doctors that specialize in cancer. It’s tough seeing your parents get older.

Christmas festivities were a lot of fun. Tommy & I did not put up a bunch of our decorations. Just a few, like a small palm tree Christmas tree, and a baby Jesus manger. It was not too festive, but we were not entertaining anyone this year. On December 10th, the girls all came over, and we baked. Well, I didn’t because I just had surgery, but Teri, Nicole, Shelby, and Bethany made goodies for our friends and family. We had lots of laughter while we bitched about making all the goodies. Haha, we do this every year. I suggested canceling, and they said, NO! 🤷‍♀️ can’t win for losing.

We have gathered at others’ homes this year, and I’m so thankful for all the hospitality and for making the holidays easy for me this year. Nicole, Teri, Dylan, Bethany, and Kerry were great hosts with southern hospitality and delicious food. I believe I have gained a pound or two. Of course, I’m grateful for Tommy and Shelby’s help in preparing us for the gatherings.

Tomorrow I have to get back into more water and no sugar! I will try to put an update on the blog at least once a month. Who wants to make a bet I will be able to keep that cadence?